Oscillating engine.



0. E. MICHAUD.

OSCILLATING ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED N-ov.2s, I9I5.

1 ,277,238. l Patented Aug. 27, 1918,

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IIIIIII -gg @IIIIIII 0. E. MICHAUD.

OSCILLATING ENGINE.

APPLlcAloN FILED N0v.25. |915.

Patented Aug. 27, 1918.

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0. E. MICHAUD.

osclLL/mNG ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOVI'Z, I9I5.

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ONESIME lE."1v1'.lllll-I'illl'l),OFS'CLX LOUIS, MISSOURI, -ASSIGNOROF ONE-HALF T0 FRITZ A-'A. 'MULLER, OF MCGEHEE,5ARKANSAS. Y p

OSCILLATING ENGINE.

-Specication of Letters Patent. .Patented A110'. 27, 19.18.`

Application filed November 558,;1915. Seiial'No. 63,391.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known'that I, ONEsIMn E. MioHAUD, av citizen of the United States, and aresident of the city 'of St. 'Louis and Stateof Missouri, have invented 'a v'new and useful 1in-r proveinent in Oscillating Engines, of which' the following isa specification.

This iiiveiitioi1.relates particularly to air cooled engines, and consists in an engine having oscillating cylinders arranged ,in "a casing to which cooling air is supplied.

The object ofthe invention is a light, powerful motor suitable for automobiles, tractors and aeroplanes, and which can Ibe operated at high speed and Linder heavy duty without'overheating and without wasting fuel.

The characteristic 'features of the invention are the oscillating cylinder and piston construction; the arrangement of cylinders separate from each other and from the engine head; the ,supporting means for the cylinders; thevalve arrangement and operating means; andthe arrangement of the housing, casing and cooling means.

Other objects'of the invention appear in connection with the following description of the engine shown in fthe accompanying drawings; and wlia't'the invention consistslin is more particularlydefined in the'appended' claims.

Inthe drawings, in which the same reference characters are used to designate like parts in the several views,

Figure 1 is a plan view of an engineembodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal. section on .the principal axis of the engine, showing the cylinders, crank shaft and cam shafts in side elevation;

Fig. l is a cross-section on theline 4 4; in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the lineA 5 5 in Fig. 1, showing the crank shaft and moving parts rotated through oiie-lialf a stroke from the position'shown in Figs.'2 and 3.

The engine shown in the drawings is of the four cylinder, four stroke ycycle type, having two explosions or power strokes for each revolution of the crank shaft. The invention is not restricted `to four cycle engines, and it'may be` applied to engines having'one or more cylinders, as desired.

The frame of the engine consists of a vertically arranged housing 11 -which is open atf'top and bottom, and which supports the crankshaft at its bottom and thev cylinders at its top. y The crank shaftlZ is horizontal, and is journaled in beaiiiigs 13 which are securedjbeneath theliousing in line with its principal axis. The four cylinders `14`are separate castings, 'and are inclosed within' the housing. They are `upright and are 'arranged side by side vertically over-the crank shaft.` The pistons' L'15 are directly connected'to 'the cranks by the piston rods 16, whereby the pistons and cylinders oscillate with the piston rods when the crank shaft rotates.

The bottom of the housing 1'1is closed by an oil pan 17 which is bolted on to its lower edge, forminga crank case;and the top of the jliousing '11 is closed by the engine head casting 18 which is bolted to its upper edge and carries the inlet and exhaust val-ves and passages, 'the valve operating Imechanism, and the ignitionnieans. The housing `The vcylinders 1re-oscillate in planes at right angles to the crank shaft around the vtrunnions 2O which are pro'videdon'oppo- 'site sides of their head ends. The top end 'of each cylinder is'rounded'off transversely 'of its axis, forming a doine with a cyliiihdri'cal outer surface concentric with the trunnions. yA deep' 'wide groove V21 is formed across' the middle of'the cylindrical top-or dome of each'cylinder at right'angles. lto its axis and crosswise of the axis ofthe trunn'ions 20; and this vgroove opens at its middle directly into the top of the head or explosion end offthe cylinder chamber.

rllie engine head casting 18 has a semicylindrical 4recess or channel 22 extending and parts supported thereby are mounted -inrany suitable frame or bed, as'bymeans of the lugs 19 on the sides of the housing.

cylinders, and `the eXhaust of products of combustion from the cylinders, are controlled by means of inlet valves 25 and eX- haust valves 2G in the passages 23 and 24, respectively. The valves open upward, and are slidably mounted in valve cages 27, screwed into recesses in the engine head casting over the valves. The valves have stems which project up through the cages 27 and guide the valves when they are off of their seats. The valves are normally held closed by springs 28 which bear against collars 29 fixed on the valve stems within the cages. The springs 2S are held in place by caps 30 which screw into and close the upper ends of the cages.

The valves are operated from the crank shaft in the usual order of succession for four stroke cycle explosion engines. Rocking levers 31, which are mounted in pedestals 32 on the engine head over the cylinders, are connected to the upper ends of the valve stems, and are tilted periodically by cams 33 on the half-time shafts 34 and 35 to lift the valves. The inner ends of the valve rocking levers 31 are provided with pivoted latches 36 for the cams to strike against to move the rocking levers to lift the valves. These latches are held in operative position to be engaged by the cams by flat springs 37, which permit the latches to lift` independently of the rocking leversowhen the cam shafts rotate in the reverse direction, thus allowing the cams to rotate backward. Thereby accidental reversal of the engine will not injure the valves or operating parts. The `half-time shafts are caused to rotate in opposite directions by means of the gears 38 at their forward ends. The shaft 35 is driven at one-half the speed of the engine crank shaft by means of sprocket gears 39 on said shafts connected by a driving chain 40. The oscillation of the cylinders causes the ends of the crosswise grooves 21 to register with one or the othervof the passages 23 and 24, and the respective inlet and exhaust valves are timed to open when the cross groovey of the cylinder which keach serves is oscillated to register with the passage in which it is located.

The cylinders are held up against the engine head by means of yokes 41 which surround the domes near their middle diameters, and which have bearings for the trunnions 20. The yokes are each adjustably supported at their ends by bearings 42 which engage eccentric portions 43 of short shafts 44 which are journaled end to end in bearings 45 on the inside of each side wall of the housing 11. One end of each eccentric shaft has a 'depending arm or lever 46 fiXed to it, the levers on the ends of the two shafts which support each yoke being in transverse alinement on opposite sides of the engine and being connected at their lower ends by a tension spring 47. The arrangement of the spring and levers tends to rotate the eccentric portions of the shafts Hupward and thereby lift the ends of the yoke supported thereon. Hence the domed end 0f each cylinder is constantly held up against the semicylindrical channel in the engine head to maintain a tight fit and take up any wear of the bearing surfaces.

The cylinders are formed with circumferential ribs 4S around their middles for assisting in radiating the heat generated within them; and the pistons have plates 49 secured to their outer ends to reciprocate in and out of the lower ends of the cylinders and pump air into and out of them for assisting 1n cooling them. The plates 49 also prevent an excess of oil from being splashed into the cylinders from the crank case. A fan 50 is mounted on the front end of the housing 11 on a hollow shaft 51 which is journaled in a bearing 52 in the front wall of the housing. The shaft 51 projects through the front wall of the housing and its inner end is open. The fan blades are hollow and scoop up air at their tips and discharge it through their inner ends into the hollow shaft 51, and through it into the housing for cooling the cylinders. The oscillating movement of the cylinders also promotes circulation of the cooling air within the housing. Holes 53 are made in the engine head casting 16 to permit the hot air to escape.

A casing 54 may be arranged over the engine head, valves and valve operating gear to protect these parts and to deaden the noise of the valves and operating gear. The lower edges of the casing are spaced from the top of the engine head to allow the cooling air to escape. The spark plugs are arranged in threaded openings 55 in the side wall of the cylinder head casting leading into the chambers for the inlet valve.

It is evident that modifications may be made in the shapes and arrangement of the parts, and the invention is not restricted to the specific shapes and arrangement shown and described.

I claim the following as my invention:

1. An explosion engine comprising a head, and an oscillatory cylinder pivotally bearing against said engine head and having an opening through its head end, valve passages in said engine head and means for closing them periodically on opposite sides of said cylinder, said valve passages being adapted to register in alternation with the opening in the head end of said cylinder.

2. An oscillating engine comprising` a casing having a head on one end and inclosing` an oscillatory cylinder, the head end of said cylinder having a pivotal bearing on the inside of the casing head, and a yoke supported in the casing and surrounding the head end of said cylinder, said yoke being provided with bearings engaging said cylinder to hold it against said pivotal bearing.

3. An oscillating engine comprising a casing having a head on one end and inclosing an oscillatory cylinder, the head end of said cylinder having a pivotal bearing on the inside of the casing head, and a yoke surrounding the head end of said cylinder and provided with bearings at its middle engaging said cylinder to hold it against said pivotal bearing, the ends of said yoke being adjustably supported in said casing.

al. An oscillating engine comprising a casing having a head on one end and inclosing an oscillatory cylinder, the head end of said cylinder having a pivotal bearing on the inside of the casing head, and a yoke surrounding the head end of said cylinder and provided with bearings at its middle engaging said cylinder to hold it against said pivotal bearing, the ends of said yoke being mounted on movable spring retained members supported in said casing.

5. An oscillating engine comprising a casing having a head on one end and inclosing an oscillatory cylinder, the head end of said cylinder having a pivotal bearing on Copies of this patent may be obtained for the inside of the casing head, and a yoke surrounding the head end of said cylinder and provided With bearings at its middle engaging said cylinder to hold it against said pivotal bea-ring, the ends of said yoke being provided with bearings engaging eccentric portions of rotatable members supported in said casing, and spring means tending to rotate said members to lift the ends of said yoke.

6. An oscillating engine comprising a casing for inclosing and supporting the crank shaft and oscillatory cylinders, a head closing the head end of said casing, valves located in said head and operated from the crank shaft, valve passages in said head and openings in the head ends of the cylinders adapted for communicating With said valve passages, said head closing the openings in said cylinders, and separate means for holding each cylinder against said head, said means being adapted to adjust said cylinders individually to compensate for unequal expansion and Wear oi' the parts.

Signed at Tallulah, La., this 20th day of November, 1915.

ONESIME E. MICHAUD.

ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

